Month: November 2014

There has not been a single week I’ve failed to receive an email message from a reader questioning or demanding why I’ve not written about the so-called Benghazi scandal. Sometimes messages are long and linked to external content. I’ve also received messages with a single word in all capitals: “BENGHAZI” (correct spelling optional). My best guess is the number of exclamation points following the word is indicative of the writer’s current frustration level. One punctuation banger denotes reading of Facebook headlines. Two bangers indicates a recent twitter hashtag search mission. Three or more are evidence of recent consumption of Fox News, the national leader in Benghazi propaganda distribution. The last time I received an email referring to Benghazi was Thursday, about 24 hours before a Republican-led U.S. House report debunked every conspiracy…

Hawkeye Martini: three measures of prune juice, one of vodka, half a measure of Metamucil Clear and Natural. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of the little blue pill. Got it? Variety, they say, is the spice of life, but I can’t be the only one having a difficult time reconciling Iowa City’s reputation as a party town with its latest distinction as top small city for successful aging. Hopefully, some entrepreneurial types soon will be cashing in on new and improved adult “party pants” and nutritional vapor. As for the fifty shades of grey’s anatomy, well, that’s actually the basis of the distinction. “With a top-notch health care system, a strong economy and low unemployment, Iowa City, home to the University of…

Did you get distracted by Congressional Keystone XL discussions? While the U.S. Senate debated a bill approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline this week, and most major media outlets described how the outcome could impact the Louisiana runoff race for Sen. Mary Landrieu’s seat, members of the U.S. House were taking aim at the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board. House members passed H.R. 1422, the “EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2014,” which essentially invites the foxes to help protect the hen house. “… persons with substantial and relevant expertise are not excluded from the Board due to affiliation with or representation of entities that may have a potential interest in the Board’s advisory activities, so long as that interest is fully disclosed to the Administrator and the public …”…

The squeeze is on, and it might be a home run. Or not. The petition placed online by Iowa City Girls Softball sounds the alarm. “The property tax reform passed by the state legislation in 2013 could cost Iowa City $37 million to $52 million in lost property tax revenue over the next decade,” the petition reads. “The City Council has charged our Parks & Recreation Department to come up with a cost recovery effort that will supplement this lost revenue. Currently, the Parks and Recreation Department is seeking approximately $25,000 a year from Iowa City Girls Softball. We need your support to tell the City Council and the Director of Parks & Recreation not to charge ICGS for our use of Napoleon Park. ICGS cannot operate a sustainable organization and be a revenue…

When the videotape of journalist Daniel Pearl’s brutal murder was released in 2002, it was handed to an undercover FBI operative posing as a journalist. The move was ironic because Pearl’s captors originally said they believed the Wall Street Journal editor was actually a CIA agent. Weeks before Pearl became a hostage, Editor & Publisher speculated on the risky and widespread use of journalist “covers” overseas, after Taliban defectors said they were approached by intelligence officers in Afghanistan pretending to be journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a total of 1,082 media members have been killed since 1992 (the first year statistics were kept). Of those killed, 715 were murdered, a quarter of them in the Middle East and mostly in Iraq since 2003. Long before these statistics, however, if we are to…

Something ugly has happened in Eastern Iowa. Cornell College’s Black Awareness Cultural Organization (BACO) has been hosting a weeklong awareness campaign on individual differences. The campaign, called Privilege Week, was intended to unite the student body and community, but has endured racist comments on social media and vandalism of promotional materials. Some continue to believe discussions of privilege are designed diminish personal achievement or amount to little more shaming of those who have historically benefited from privilege. The idea that some members of society have additional roadblocks along a path to success is, of course, a reality we understand. But many of us are also raised to believe that “good” choices result in “good” outcomes, and that everyone has the same opportunities to make choices. The latter is not always true and…

Voters like to pride themselves on sending messages through the ballot box and, most of the time, such messages are easily received and understood. Just ask Todd Akin or Anthony Weiner. But when voters send murky or mixed messages, prevailing voters have the added responsibility of clearly articulating their wishes. This needs to happen in Johnson County. In the fall of 2012, the spring of 2013 and now, again, in the most recent general election, a majority of Johnson County voters have told officials to go ahead with plans related to the historic courthouse. Officials have twice had a majority say a new jail and courthouse addition should be constructed. On Tuesday, an even larger majority gave their blessing to a sole courthouse annex. The path forward should be clear,…

Rejoice, fellow Iowans. We’ve outlived the seemingly never-ending stream of political nastiness that attempted to hijack our lives — not to mention our mailboxes, streetscapes, televisions, Web browsers and radios. If you, like me, have found shelter from the murky deluge in books and podcasts, now is the time to roll back the rock and re-enter the world anew. Fair warning: We’ve missed the best of the fall colors, and it’s quite a bit colder out there. No matter who garners the most votes on Tuesday, the candidate signs will soon come down or be covered by snow. And, much to the abject joy of our Opinion Team, letter writers will consider fresh topics. Television ads will once again offer clear pictures of people’s faces and soundtracks less suited to…

I’m fairly sure Southern heritage has me genetically predisposed to scrappiness. I love a good debate and have sometimes purposefully taken on the role of Devil’s Advocate just to stir the pot and increase discussion. In fact, I used to carry a handmade sign, “my dog urinates on the carpet,” which I used to gain access to a variety of demonstrations. It’s amazing how many people never read the sign of the person next to them, and what they’ll divulge to a stranger. What I’ve learned during these excursions is people don’t generally stand up because they have nothing else to be doing. They are there because they feel some deep-seated connection to an issue or want to bring added awareness. Their motivations are born of a certain level of…